Global Fisheries and Resilience Action - GFRA

22/05/2026

Happening Now: Global Fisheries and Resilience Action - GFRA joins the Fisheries Commission HQ. and Fisheries GH for a Community Dialogue on Women in Fisheries — taking place this morning in Shama, Ghana's Western Region.

Under the theme "Women Supporting Women: Strengthening Women Inclusion and Opportunities in the Fisheries Sector," the dialogue brings together women from Ghana's fishing and coastal communities for a direct conversation with Hon Emelia Arthur, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

This event is a direct expression of GFRA's commitment to gender mainstreaming — ensuring that the women who sustain Ghana's fisheries value chain as processors, traders, and community leaders have a seat at the table where decisions are made about their sector, their livelihoods, and their future.

14/05/2026

Nearly 100 Village Savings and Loan Associations have been formed across Ghana's coastal communities with members saving consistently, accessing credit, improving fish-processing facilities, and supporting licensing under the Safe Fish Certification and Licensing Scheme.

GFRA is committed to ensuring that these community-owned, community-run institutions endure, building on the foundation established under the USAID Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity.

We recently conducted a rapid assessment of selected VSLAs to evaluate their performance and identify where targeted support is needed.

Read the full article on our website: https://gfra.global/gfra-lbg-strengthening-village-savings-and-loan-associations-across-ghanas-coast/

10/05/2026

Happy Mother's Day!

Today, GFRA celebrates the mothers who are the backbone of Ghana's fisheries sector — the fish processors, traders, and community leaders whose resilience, skill, and enterprise sustain coastal communities every single day.

Their contribution is immeasurable. At GFRA, advancing women's leadership and opportunity along the fisheries value chain is central to everything we do. Today we honour them.

08/05/2026

This month, we are engaging closely with the people we serve. Across coastal communities, we are holding dialogues with men, women, youth, fishers, fish processors, fish traders, and other fisheries workers to reflect on what has changed over the past year, the challenges that persist, and what needs to be addressed differently.

At GFRA, we believe meaningful change begins with listening. We value the lived realities of our community partners and remain committed to ensuring that our work is informed by their voices, experiences and priorities.

06/05/2026

Global Fisheries and Resilience Action - GFRA was pleased to welcome Sonia Kwami, Vice President of Oceana in Ghana, to our offices today for a courtesy call and an engaging exchange on potential partnership and collaboration.

The conversation covered significant ground: from the operationalisation of Ghana's Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 and enforcement of the expanded Inshore Exclusive Zone, to the livelihoods of women in the fisheries value chain, community engagement, and the role of science-based reporting in driving reform.

Both organisations see strong areas of alignment and look forward to exploring what potential collaboration can deliver for Ghana's fisheries and coastal communities.

05/05/2026

As we continue to build and sustain the partnerships that drive our work, we take a moment to revisit 21 April 2026 — when Global Fisheries and Resilience Action - GFRA welcomed representatives of Curious Minds-Ghana to our offices for a warm and productive meeting, reconnecting on shared history and exploring new areas of collaboration in fisheries conservation, climate change, and youth engagement.

We look forward to what this renewed partnership can deliver for Ghana's coastal communities.

01/05/2026

Happy Workers' Day to the fishers, processors, traders, and all the hardworking men and women whose daily labour keeps Ghana's fisheries sector alive.
At GFRA, everything we do — from strengthening enforcement to advancing transparency to supporting coastal communities — is ultimately in service of the people whose livelihoods depend on healthy, well-managed oceans.
Their work matters. Their rights matter. 🌊

24/04/2026

24/04/2026

GFRA’s Country Director, Socrates Segbor, delivered a Project Overview and Strategic Context presentation on the IEZET Project, detailing how the project supports the implementation of the fisheries sector reforms by aligning them into a single coherent system that creates a national pathway for fisheries recovery. The IEZET project operationalizes and systematizes the implementation of these reforms through its four components: IEZ Enforcement & Compliance; Transparency & Market Access; Governance & Institutional Strengthening; and MPA Policy and Spatial Protection.

23/04/2026

Fisheries Commission HQ.’s Richner Odonkor delivered a presentation on the key provisions of the new Fisheries Act. The expanded IEZ eliminates the ambiguity of the previous definition in the law, and the zone is now reserved for artisanal boats, smaller semi-industrial vessels, recreational fishing boats, and approved research vessels. Act1146 introduces substantially higher penalties designed to deter IUU fishing and better aligns with international instruments. It also provides a legal basis for the MPAs and comanagement committees that are essential to long-term recovery.

23/04/2026

Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MoFA)’s Sammuel Oteng delivered a presentation on the Roadmap for Stakeholder Engagement on the Draft Fisheries Regulations. He used the opportunity to *share the non-exhaustive list of identified stakeholders for the 16-region engagement which are set to begin in Q2 of 2026.